


change

by antebunny



Series: MDZS October 2020 [6]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, BAMF Wei Wuxian, Fluff, Found Family, Fusion, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jiāng Yànlí is a queen, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Star Wars Fusion, Telepathy, The Power of Love™, because...the Force, wwx is a little shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:42:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27005257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antebunny/pseuds/antebunny
Summary: The life and times of Wei Wuxian, Jedi extraordinaire.Featuring: emo Lan Wangji, the bickerings of a dysfunctional Jedi family, and Wei Wuxian being best Jedi boy.
Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian/Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn & Jiāng Yànlí
Series: MDZS October 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953592
Comments: 48
Kudos: 403





	1. change

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. so mdzs and Star Wars actually have this weird parallel where the Jedi think that there’s no coming back after you use the dark side of the Force, except they’re wrong, whereas no one understand why wwx won’t just pick up his sword again bc he totally has a golden core, right? So instead of doing anything interesting with that, I skipped it completely like the loser that I am lmao
> 
> 2\. I put names and titles from both fandoms into a blender and ended up with…something
> 
> 3\. He Lijuan is my name for Madame Jin. 
> 
> 4\. Does plot exist? You bet it doesn’t.
> 
> 5\. Heavily inspired by this prompt: https://mondengel.tumblr.com/post/613686813471735808/attilarrific-moonbelowsea-attilarrific 
> 
> 6\. this fits the prompt "change" only in that I changed all the characters into Jedi. Also that Falling doesn't change who you are as a person, which comes up at the end (spoilers whoops)

Wei Wuxian was found by Jiang Fengmian in the streets of Yiling when he was nine years old. This was more of coincidence than anything else, because neither Jiang Fengmian nor any of the other Jedi Councillors had any reason to suspect that Wei Wuxian was on the planet Yiling. There was really no reason for him to suspect that his friends Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze had been there when they died, it was pure coincidence that he was. 

The Jedi Council had agreed that while they couldn’t possibly spend resources looking for one orphaned child out of the millions in the galaxy, they did have a duty to find the Force sensitive children of the galaxy, and Wei Wuxian was surely one of them. A child of two Force sensitive parents was bound to be strong in the Force, so really, the Jedi Council was duty bound to find him. 

Jedi Councillor He Lijuan suggested exactly once, when Wei Wuxian was about eight, that they stop searching, since he was clearly too old to join the Jedi Order. Her friend, Jedi Councillor Yu Ziyuan, gave her the singular dirtiest look that she had ever given anyone, after which the matter was dropped. It was wisely not mentioned that Cangse Sanren was the former Padawan of Grandmaster Baoshan Sanren, partly because Grandmaster Baoshan had gone through dozens of padawans in her possibly immortal lifespan, so no one could accuse her of bias, and partly because the last time she’d shown up to a Jedi Council meeting she’d been in favor of finding Wei Wuxian, and no one wanted to contradict her.

Of course, Wei Wuxian didn’t know any of that when he told Jiang Fengmian his name was Wei Wuxian. He just knew that the nice man in purple was offering him food and a place to stay off the streets. Wei Wuxian had learned long ago not to trust nice men who offered him food and a place to stay, especially if they said they knew his parents, so he only took him up on the offer for dinner in a restaurant. But during the dinner, Jiang Fengmian kept talking about his parents, things that nobody was supposed to know, until Wei Wuxian was almost convinced that Jiang Fengmian really did know his parents. He still wasn’t going to go home with Jiang Fengmian, because he’d seen what happened to street kids like him who did. When he tried to explain this to him, as best as his nine-year-old self could, Jiang Fengmian just looked sad. Then in a last ditch effort to convince him, he brought out his lightsaber, right there in the middle of Yiling in a diner full of people. His blade was a bright, vivid purple-blue, and it hummed the same as his parents’ lightsabers had when it moved. 

Wei Wuxian hesitated then, because if Jiang Fengmian had a purple lightsaber he _had_ to be a Jedi, and he was supposed to be able to trust Jedi, so maybe he was just offering him food and a place to sleep, and really did know his parents. And Jiang Fengmian just _felt_ trustworthy in a way that the other adults offering the same thing hadn’t, in a way Wei Wuxian couldn’t really explain. He just got a bad feeling around them, as if he could sense their bad intentions, whereas Jiang Fengmian felt safe, for some reason. 

In the end, Wei Wuxian took his hand and followed Jiang Fengmian onto his spaceship, and he was forever grateful that he did.

* * *

Later, Wei Wuxian would learn that his parents had left the Jedi Order to marry each other and start a family, and that they’d offered their services as Force-users ever since. No one ever found out what the job that killed them had been. He would also learn that Jiang Fengmian already had a padawan, who was a few years from becoming a Jedi Knight but not quite ready yet. At the time, all he knew was that everyone on the Jedi Council seemed to know his parents, and no one seemed happy that Jiang Fengmian was offering to take him on as a padawan. 

“I sense remarkably little anger in him, despite his upbringing,” Yu Ziyuan said grudgingly, and later Wei Wuxian would recognize the face the other Councillors made as an attempt to not scoff at the audacity of _Yu Ziyuan_ saying this. 

At the time, he just didn’t understand it. What did he have to be angry about? Master Fengmian had kept his word. Wei Wuxian had eaten more in the past several days than he had in the week before. He’d even taken Wei Wuxian on a tour of the Jedi Temple, which Wei Wuxian knew he’d cherish even if he didn’t get to stay. 

For all that nine was supposed to be too old to be accepted as a youngling, no one seemed to find any problems with him. Anger and fear were very dangerous feelings for a Jedi to have, because they’re the most likely emotion to lead a Jedi to Fall. But Jedi had been known to Fall for nobler emotions as well, because all using the Dark side really meant was using the Force from a place of anger, and people could be angry for any number of reasons. The only consistent thing was that Fallen Jedi never returned. So the Jedi recognized the futility of fearing emotions (and not just because fearing emotions was a fear), but they heavily emphasized on letting go of feelings. Which was why there were Jedi Councillors like Nie Mingjue and Yu Ziyuan who were known for their tempers, only they had long since trained themselves to not act until they had calmed down. 

After the Jedi Councillors had all bickered themselves into exhaustion, Grandmaster Baoshan Sanren finally appeared from wherever she’d been hiding. “He’s staying,” she said, and tartly informed Jiang Fengmian that she too would take Wei Wuxian as a padawan if it wasn't for the fact that her padawan, Xiao Xingchen, was not yet ready to be Knighted, and she wouldn’t be rushing that just to make Wei Wuxian a padawan when being a youngling suited him just fine. 

And so it was.

* * *

Wei Wuxian was sent to the creche, where he immediately proved to be the best and worst youngling in his group. Best because Wei Wuxian caught up to his crechemates with a frightening ease, and it wasn’t long before he began surpassing the slower ones. Worst because he was an utter terror in the creche, and could not sit still enough for any sort of meditation. 

So it was a surprise to everyone when Jiang Yanli chose Wei Wuxian as her padawan when he was eleven years old, for many reasons. Firstly, because her strengths lay not in saberfighting, but in the mental aspects of being a Jedi. Knight Yanli embodied the serenity and calm of a quintessential Jedi. Wei Wuxian once joked that she could mediate in a warzone, only to find out years later that he hadn’t been joking. She was a true protege of her master, the unflappable Jiang Fengmian, who was widely renowned as the Negotiator, which led to the second reason. Jedi technically weren’t supposed to be attached to their padawans or masters, but there was no denying that they were. So everyone had expected Jiang Yanli to be a little upset that her master would push her through her Trial before she was ready, just so that he could take another padawan. It should’ve felt a little like abandonment, yet Jiang Yanli, very soon after she was Knighted, went ahead and chose Wei Wuxian as her padawan.

Later they would realize that Jiang Yanli was quite possibly the best master Wei Wuxian could’ve had. But at the time, they weren’t privy to the passive aggressive argument between Knight Yanli and Councillor Fengmian which ended with his abject apology. Or the passive aggressive argument between Knight Yanli and Grandmaster Baoshan afterwards, once Xiao Xingchen had been Knighted.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wanyin was chosen by Councillor Ziyuan, to the surprise of none of his crechemates, and Nie Huaisang was chosen by Councillor Mingjue, to the surprise of absolutely everyone, especially Nie Huaisang. Newly-appointed Councillor Xichen chose Lan Wangji, despite the fact that Su She seemed to think it was a competition between himself and Lan Wangji. To be fair, no one quite understood why Lan Xichen, who was known to be friendly and open-minded, chose Lan Wangji, who despite his talent had made exactly one friend during his time as a youngling.

* * *

“That’s cheating!” Jiang Cheng came up furious and spluttering, scrambling off the training mat. 

Wei Wuxian only laughed at him, shaking both lightsabers at him. “Says who?” He danced back when Jiang Cheng tried to tackle him. 

“Says everyone!” Jiang Cheng stopped to catch his breath, but he didn’t stop glaring fiercely at Wei Wuxian. “Just because _you’ve_ only been here four years–” he stopped, not knowing where he was going with that.

“Hey!” Wei Wuxian objected. “I asked Lan Zhan, and he said there’s no rule against it!”

“Well of course L–”

“Boys,” came a chiding voice from the entrance of the training room. 

They immediately stopped their bickering and straightened up. Wei Wuxian tossed Jiang Cheng’s lightsaber back to him and smiled winningly as Jiang Yanli strode in, carrying a tray with two bowls of soup.

“I lost track of time!” Wei Wuxian said immediately, but faltered under her knowing look. “I–didn’t you say I should get along better with Jiang Cheng, Master?”

“Yes, but not through _more_ bickering,” she sighed. Yanli set her tray on the floor and both boys sat down right there, sweaty robes and all. 

“Your master is the best,” Jiang Cheng informed Wei Wuxian around mouthfuls of soup. “Master Ziyuan would never bring me soup just ‘cause I missed dinner.”

Wei Wuxian pointed his spoon at him. “Master Yanli still won’t take me on missions with her!”

“That’s because she goes on diplomacy missions and you’re a menace! You’d probably set something on fire. Honestly, I don’t know how _Jiang Fengmian_ was going to take you as a padawan.”

“Hey!” Wei Wuxian objected, again. “I’m Master Fengmian’s favorite grandpadawan!”

“You’re his only grandpadawan,” Jiang Cheng scoffed. 

“Boys,” Jiang Yanli sighed again.

“Sorry Master Yanli,” they both chorused, and returned to dutifully eating their supper.

“Why do you listen to her but not Master Fengmian?” Wei Wuxian muttered eventually, unable to resist. 

“Master Ziyuan says I should never listen to Jiang Fengmian,” Jiang Cheng muttered back. “And your master is nice. She’s much nicer than you, anyway.” 

“I am so nice,” Wei Wuxian protested, flicking soup at him. “Master, tell him I’m nice.”

“Last week you made my prototype UT-D explode,” Jiang Cheng retorted, before Jiang Yanli could tell him that Wei Wuxian was secretly nice, like she was bound to do. “Just for one of your stupid inventions.” He flicked soup back at Wei Wuxian. “I’m betting you right now. First mission: explosion.”

Jiang Cheng lost his bet. On Wei Wuxian’s first mission, he didn’t make anything explode. And if he set someone’s hair on fire, well, there was no need to tell Jiang Cheng that.

* * *

Jiang Yanli was made a Jedi Master when she was just twenty-one years old, before Wei Wuxian had even turned fourteen. 

“For her eternal patience,” Jiang Fengmian added serenely, after the ceremony. 

Everyone looked at Wei Wuxian, who didn’t notice, as he was busy crying tears of happiness for Yanli.

* * *

To the surprise of everyone, when Wei Wuxian wasn’t in the Lotus Pier training halls, or digging through holocrons down in the old archives in search of ideas for his latest invention, he was in the library. The Jedi Temple’s Cloud Recesses Library was found near the top of the Temple, sprawling across the rooftops of the Sun Hall, the cafeteria, and the creche. It was one of the highest places in the Temple, second only to Koi Tower. 

The Master Archivist, Lan Qiren, would insist that he had no personal grudge against Wei Wuxian, as he was a proper Jedi and proper Jedi didn’t hold grudges. This fact, however, was disputed by just about everyone who saw them interact. So no one could understand why Wei Wuxian would voluntarily come within range of Master Qiren when not attending his history class. 

Lan Wangji, especially, did not understand why Wei Ying kept coming to the Cloud Recesses just to talk to him, but he appreciated it nonetheless.

* * *

Supreme Chancellor Jin Guangshan was slimier than an eel, and all the Jedi knew it. Perhaps it was simply easier for them, when the Force was constantly giving out shady vibes whenever Chancellor Guangshan was around. No one on the Jedi Council hated him, as a Jedi Councillor would _never_ feel an emotion akin to hate, but it said something that almost everyone scoffed and rolled their eyes when Jiang Yanli, Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Cheng stood before the Council to give their report.

“…And that’s why he wants Councillor Lijuan to be his bodyguard until the issue is resolved,” Jiang Yanli concluded.

Nie Mingjue slammed his fist down on the side of his chair. “The gall of this man!” He roared. “He acts as if the Jedi Order is his personal security force!”

“The Jedi are here to serve the Republic,” Lan Xichen reminded him mildly.

“The people, yes,” Yu Ziyuan said tartly. She was surprisingly willing to wade through sludge for the sake of the greater good, but perhaps that was because the Jedi knew better than to send her on diplomacy missions. “The Chancellor, no. His job is to serve the Republic, not to _be_ the Republic. And we all know,” she added with a sniff, “that this attempted assassination is a farce.”

“Has the Force indeed informed you of this, Ziyuan?” Jiang Fengmian asked. 

Yu Ziyuan turned to glare at him, but Nie Mingjue interrupted by scoffing loudly. “We all know Jin Guangshan has been trying to flirt with Lijuan every chance he gets.”

He Lijuan went red with an emotion that definitely wasn’t rage. Relationships weren’t technically forbidden in the Jedi Order, but things like getting married and starting a family were. Relationships with outsiders also weren’t technically forbidden, but heavily frowned upon. None of this changed the fact that He Lijuan despised Jin Guangshan. Nobody could understand why the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic insisted on hitting on a Jedi, even if she was pretty. Perhaps it was because she was a Jedi, and therefore either unattainable, playing hard-to-get, or innocent in “worldly matters,” whichever turned Jin Guangshan on. 

He Lijuan had tried the whole range of ways to say no, from outright disgust to putting her teenage padawan in front of her in the hopes that Jin Guangshan would show some measure of decency and stop trying to make out with her using only his eyes. The only result had been a fourteen year old Jin Zixuan who was scarred for life. 

“The Chancellor’s questionable motives aside,” Lan Xichen said, “it is simply unreasonable for him to request a Jedi Councillor as a bodyguard when any Jedi Master is suited for the job.”

“This could be solved if we could just get him to _stop flirting_ with Lijuan,” Yu Ziyuan pointed out, and for a moment all the Councillors leaned back, thinking on the subject of how to get Jin Guangshan to take no for an answer.

“Maybe if Master Mingjue tried flirting with him,” Wei Wuxian offered. Nine pairs of eyes stared at him in a mixture of emotions only Wei Wuxian could provoke from the Jedi Council. Nie Mingjue spluttered in outrage to his left. 

“Don’t be stupid,” Jiang Cheng said. “Master Mingjue has no idea how to flirt.” Nie Mingjue paled and muttered _I told that to Huaisang in confidence_ under his breath. “We should get Master Ziyuan and Master Lijuan to kiss in front of him,” he finished.

“Don’t be stupid,” Yu Ziyuan scoffed, while He Lijuan turned pink and Jiang Fengmian choked on air. “If he thinks she’s not interested he’ll just be more interested.”

“Perhaps,” Jiang Yanli intervened, saving this train wreck of a Council meeting, “we should appoint Xiao Xingchen as his bodyguard. As the former padawan of Grandmaster Baoshan, he cannot argue that Xingchen is ill-trained. Perhaps with his friend, Song Lan.”

“And Xingchen has the patience of a saint,” Yu Ziyuan agreed, nodding. 

“Excellent suggestion, Yanli–Fengmian, how is your padawan not on the Council yet?” Nie Mingjue demanded.

Both Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Yanli bestowed the Council with matching serene smiles. Wei Wuxian tried his best not to shiver in fear. A good Jedi didn’t feel fear. 

“That must be why,” Yu Ziyuan muttered. 

“As much as I don’t want another one of my former padawans to leave the Order,” Baoshan Sanren spoke up, amused, “Jiang Yanli’s suggestion has merit. Let’s do it.”

And so they did. The discussion on whether Jiang Yanli should be appointed to the Council was tabled for later, along with what to do about Jin Guangshan.

* * *

The war broke out, and the discussion of what to do about Jin Guangshan had to be tabled for even later. Jiang Yanli and Xiao Xingchen were both appointed to the Council, but more out of a necessity to free up more Councillors to serve as generals. 

An entire generation of young Knights gained reputations on the battlefields, while still more fell to blasters. Wei Wuxian and his friends were practically Knighted on the battlefield. As padawans of the leaders of the Jedi Order, they found themselves at the literal outbreak of war, fighting in the first battle before the Republic had declared war on the Wens. 

The Jedi were not prepared for war, but they fought all the same, bleeding out on battlefields and stepping up to command the armies of the Republic. The Jedi did their best to keep the padawans out of the war, but they feared it was inevitable with the way the war kept dragging on and Jin Guangshan refused to help. 

And all the while, the Sith Lord Wen Ruohan sat on his planet of Qishan and watched the galaxy burn.

* * *

“Hanguang-jun is truly a magnificent Jedi,” a news reporter gushed, watching Lan Wangji extinguish his blue lightsaber and stride stoically from Jin Guangshan’s secretary, Jin Zixun. “Councillor Xichen, would you consider him the best Jedi Knight the Order has to offer?”

Lan Xichen watched his former padawan approach, and reminded himself that the reporter had zero Force sensitivity, and that by outward appearances, Lan Wangji seemed calm and unflappable. He’d also gained quite the reputation to be given a title by the public. 

It was unfortunate, then, that Lan Xichen knew that his former padawan was one insult away from slaughtering Jin Zixun where he stood. 

“I’m afraid we don’t rank our Knights,” Lan Xichen said, mildly, rebuking the reporter, who seemed entirely unfazed. 

Lan Wangji stopped in front of him and gave a stiff nod to the reporter before turning to greet him. 

“Xichen.” 

Lan Xichen smiled back and did his best not to wince. “Wangji.” _Wangji, please…_

Lan Wangji’s eyes flickered down once. _Sorry, Xichen._ The overflowing rage subsided somewhat. Then Lan Wangji glanced back at the steps of the Senate, where Wei Wuxian was still arguing with Jin Zixun. 

“How dare you!” Jin Zixun was spluttering. “I’ll have you arrested for this!”

Lan Xichen resisted the urge to sigh. He didn’t bother pointing out that they couldn’t afford to sideline Wei Wuxian, who was quite possibly their best strategist, because clearly Jin Zixun didn’t care. 

“What are Councillor Xichen’s thoughts on Knight Wuxian?” The news reporter spoke up, because she clearly hadn’t learned her lesson from Lan Xichen’s first rebuke. “Obviously he’s a great asset to the war effort–”

_Don’t call Wei Ying an asset._

_Wangji, please._

_Sorry._

“–But he is known for his…unconventional tactics,” the reporter continued. “His orbital maneuver on Hejian comes to mind.”

They did _not talk_ about the orbital maneuver.

“He’s a bit of a flight risk, don’t you think, Councillor Xichen?” She asked. “Jumping off buildings, getting into fights with Senators…the people are all a little bit worried that one day the Yiling Patriarch’s strategies just won’t work out.”

_Wei Ying’s brilliant inventions have saved millions of lives, you ungrateful woman. Wei Ying is ten times the person you’ll ever be–_

_Wangji. Please._

Lan Wangji didn’t look at him, but the tips of his ears reddened as he hastily threw up mental shields. His self-control and his mental shielding were both impeccable, but neither really disguised the overwhelming disdain Lan Wangji now had for this woman.

“It seems you have already formed an opinion on Knight Wuxian,” Lan Xichen said mildly. The other Councillors said that he was too mild when dealing with reporters, but he found that was his only way to deal without exploding. 

The truth, which doubtless would shock the media, was that Wei Wuxian was closer to the ideal Jedi than Lan Wangji. Both were good people who believed strongly in doing the right thing. Both were talented young men who fought bravely in the war until they were on the brink of collapse. Wei Wuxian was reckless, wild, and often went off on hare-brained schemes on the drop of a hat. Lan Wangji was always perfectly composed, perfectly poised. 

But the Jedi Council had always been more worried about Lan Wangji. Which was not to say that they were worried, just that there was always the underlying knowledge that Lan Wangji was an extremely emotional human being. Lan Xichen knew that his poor padawan tried so very hard to be a good Jedi, but could not manage to let go of his feelings. Wei Wuxian, on the other hand, felt just as deeply as Lan Wangji, but always managed to release his feelings into the Force.

The Jedi Council had been extremely worried for Wei Wuxian during the three-month Siege of Yiling; worried that they wouldn't be able to save him in time, and worried that even if they did they’d find a darker, Fallen Wei Wuxian. Perhaps even a Sith Wei Wuxian, a concept which made even Nie Mingjue twitch in terror. During the siege, Wei Wuxian had been trapped on the planet and surrounded by Wen Ruohan’s armies, blocking the Jedi from sending aid and Wei Wuxian from escaping. The Wens had spent the next three months trying to hunt him down. 

Lan Xichen had been worried for Lan Wangji during that time, given his unhealthy near-obsession with Wei Wuxian, and during that time, with saving Wei Wuxian. The Jedi had been so worried with the prospect of a Dark Side Wei Wuxian that they’d whisked him back to Coruscant as fast as possible and plonked him down in Jiang Yanli’s quarters. But while Wei Wuxian had killed Wen Chao, Wen Zhuliu, and many of the Wen forces besieging Yiling, in a way that didn’t seem particularly _Light,_ not that Wei Wuxian ever talked about it, there was no denying that Wei Wuxian was still very much a Jedi. And since there was no way Wei Wuxian had Fallen in Yiling and then simply… _un_ Fallen, as if it just didn’t suit him anymore, the Jedi Council was content enough to leave it at that. 

Wangji, on the other hand…

The reporter’s response to Lan Xichen’s (second) mild rebuke was interrupted when Wei Wuxian came storming up, face lacking his characteristic smile. 

“Wei Wuxian! Wei Wuxian!” Another press member hurried after Wei Wuxian, which wasn’t an easy feat considering he was walking about three times as fast as any person had the right to. Jedi weren’t supposed to use the Force for frivolous things like pouring tea and menial labor, but Wei Wuxian had always ignored that precept. Although to tell the truth, the rule against using the Force for menial labor had all but fallen out of use during the war. More than one Jedi had found themselves lifting rocks to build a tunnel or felling trees for protection.

“Wei Wuxian!” The reporter said a third time, panting as he struggled to reach Wei Wuxian. “How do you feel about Secretary Zixun’s comment about being the Republic’s attack dog?”

The other reporter’s eyes lit up. “Care to comment on the ‘shut up and do as you’re told’ statement he made earlier this week about you?”

“No,” Wei Wuxian snapped.

Lan Xichen tried to think through the hazy cloud of rage he was feeling from Lan Wangji. 

_How dare he say those things. How_ dare _he–_

 _Wangji, please, must you be so emotional?_ Lan Xichen thought with a wince. 

Wei Wuxian summoned a land speeder with a tap of his wrist and got on without even looking at the reporters. 

“Wei Wuxian–” one reporter said, grabbing Wei Wuxian’s sleeve to prevent him from leaving. 

Lan Wangji’s presence in the Force was spilling with outrage and disgust and shock and all sorts of emotions he should probably let go of sooner, rather than later. 

“Knight Wuxian,” Lan Xichen corrected mildly, but the reporter wasn’t listening to him. 

Wei Wuxian wasn’t listening to the reporter either, instead focusing on Lan Wangji, eyes wide. There was no way he could miss the outrage shimmering around him. 

_Lan Zhan, you really shouldn’t get so offended on my behalf, really, I’m used to it._

Lan Wangji stared at him, his face blank. _You should not have to suffer through these indignities,_ he thought, but a bit of embarrassment seeped into the Force. _They should treat you with more respect._

“Forget it,” Wei Wuxian said out loud, to both Lan Wangji and the reporters. His own outrage was rather muted, and with one deep breath, he just…let it go. He’d learned a somewhat alternative style of meditation due to his inability to sit still. Jiang Yanli really was the best master he could’ve gotten. And with that, Jin Zixun’s comments completely vanished from his mind. 

_How does he do it?_ Lan Wangji wondered. He knew that a day from now, Wei Wuxian probably wouldn’t even remember this had happened. How could he?

But Wei Wuxian really did just let it go. Then he broke out into one of his sunshine smiles again, one that Lan Wangji liked to think was reserved for him only. _Lan Zhan, you’re really too cute, you know that?_

Wei Wuxian was not quite able to decipher the emotions that swirled out of Lan Wangji at that, but they weren’t ones that Lan Wangji was keen on letting go anytime soon.

* * *

Wen Qing was not the head of the Jedi’s hospital ward, but she was widely known as the Jedi’s best healer. Her padawan, Wen Ning, didn’t share her talent for healing, or anything really, a fact which no one commented on when within her hearing range. The other Jedi generally didn’t comment on much when she was around. By all rights, Wen Qing should’ve been made into a Jedi Master long ago, but everyone knew why the Council was stalling. 

Before Wen Ruohan had left the Jedi Order, he’d had a total of three padawans. His third, Wen Xu, was currently his Sith Apprentice. Wen Xu lacked the brains to ever be a Sith Lord, but he had the talent and the capacity for cruelty that Wen Ruohan wanted in an apprentice. His second padawan, Wen Chao, was now dead by Wei Wuxian’s lightsaber. Wen Chao had lacked the brains and the talent to be a Sith Lord, but he certainly didn’t lack the cruelty. That had been Wen Ruohan’s focus when picking his second padawan, in an attempt to make up for his first padawan.

Wen Ruohan’s first padawan: Wen Qing, who had both the talent and the brains, but none of the capacity for evil that his later padawans had. 

It was no surprise, then, that the Jedi Order was a little suspicious of Wen Qing, even though they tried or pretended not to be. She could not even blame them for being suspicious. She would be, too, in their place. And the truth was that she did know a possible back door into Qishan, because once Wen Ruohan realized she wasn’t interested he hadn’t cared what she told others. 

The only person Wen Qing would consider a friend in the entire Jedi Order was Jiang Yanli. It wasn’t until she comforted a crying Yanli during (and after) the Siege of Yiling that she considered whether the risk was worth it.

* * *

“We have to do something about Jin Guangshan,” Wei Wuxian said the moment his holoprojector connected. 

Most of the Council met by holoprojector now, so when Wei Wuxian connected, the only Councillors actually in the Jedi Temple were Jiang Yanli and Baoshan Sanren. 

Behind Wei Wuxian stood a crowd of about fifty Wens, all huddling in the rain while Wei Wuxian led them up one of the mountains of Yiling.

“Wuxian…?” Fengmian began, slowly. “Did we hear about you running off with a force of Wens correctly?”

“If you heard it from Jin Guangshan, no,” Wei Wuxian said immediately. “I found these people in a work camp, and they’ve never fought in the war at all. They’re innocent.”

For a moment, the Councillors were quiet as they considered whether they trusted Wei Wuxian’s judgement, and they all, one way or another, ended on yes. 

“So you decided to go off on your own and break them out without contacting _any_ of us?” Nie Mingjue demanded. 

“Would you rather I leave innocent people in a work camp to die?” Wei Wuxian retorted.

“Of course not,” Lan Xichen said, rubbing his temples. He sat on his quarters on Republic transport taking him to a Qinghe battlefront. “But Wuxian, you can’t just break laws because you believe they should be broken.”

“Do you know what Jin Guangshan has been saying about this recent escapade of yours?” Yu Ziyuan began, sharply. She was pacing back and forth in a space station. All of the Jedi Council felt helpless in this situation, and they all hated it.

“I know,” Wei Wuxian said seriously. “And I know what sort of political situation this puts you in. If it’s necessary, I will resign from the Jedi Order.”

“You can’t–” Jiang Yanli started.

“It’s not–” Jiang Fengmian said.

The other Councillors all started talking at once, expressing their varying thoughts on his suggestion.

“Don’t be dramatic,” Baoshan Sanren spoke up, and at once everyone quieted down to listen to her. “The Jedi do not abandon their own, and we will not abandon our principles. We believe you that they are innocent, Wuxian, but we don’t have the time or resources to investigate him. Return to Coruscant as soon as you can and for the Force’s sake, _keep a low profile.”_

“Of course, Grandmaster,” Wei Wuxian said. He tried not to show it, but he was relieved to have their support. “Also, I think Jin Guangshan is trying to start his own Jedi Order.”

“What? What makes you say so?” He Lijuan asked.

“We all know he’s always coveted our power,” Wei Wuxian said. “Also, I have a Force-sensitive child.” And he held up a toddler for all the Jedi Council to see.

“Hi!” Wen Yuan waved.

The Council was shocked into silence for a moment, and then everybody started shouting again.

* * *

Apparently Wei Wuxian’s idea of keeping a low profile was sneakily breaking into Jin Guangshan’s basement. And if the one sobbing child and one aggressively not-afraid child in his basement was any indication, his decision was a good idea, if perhaps not a smart one.

“What he’s doing is wrong,” Wei Wuxian promised. “The Jedi Order isn’t like that.”

Xue Yang just glared at him. “Jin Guangshan also promised food and a place to sleep,” he retorted, and Wei Wuxian tried not to feel like history was repeating itself. 

They were older than he’d been, for one. And Wei Wuxian couldn’t simply pull out his lightsaber and prove he was one of the good guys that way. So Wei Wuxian gently pulled Mo Xuanyu closer and slowly let down his mental shields. 

“But you can feel it, can’t you?” Wei Wuxian pressed. He felt trustworthy, he felt safe, for reasons they were unable to explain. 

Little Mo Xuanyu trembled in his grip, and Wei Wuxian cursed Jin Guangshan with all his heart. He looked around the collection of Jedi and Sith holocrons that Jin Guangshan had gotten his hands on, in an attempt to make them learn how to use the Force without any of the principles the Jedi bound themselves to. 

Wei Wuxian looked at the lightsaber Xue Yang was holding, one that he recognized from one of the fallen Jedi whose body had never been recovered, and felt his blood boil. He held one hand out, focusing until the lightsaber wrenched itself out of Xue Yang’s grip and floated over to Wei Wuxian. Both boys watched him with hungry eyes. They’d been trying to figure out how to do that for months, after Jin Guangshan had seen Wei Wuxian casually send a reporter’s camera flying with a flick of his fingers. 

“This is not what the Force is,” Wei Wuxian insisted, gesturing with the lightsaber to Jin Guangshan’s stolen collection. “This is _wrong._ The Jedi–”

The Force screamed a warning at him and he spun around, his lightsaber flying to his hand and igniting in the space of a single thought, in time to deflect a blaster bolt into the wall. 

Vice Chancellor Jin Guangyao stood at the top of the stairs, blaster in hand. Wei Wuxian kept his lightsaber in front of him with one hand and wrapped his left arm around Mo Xuanyu, trying to shield him. 

“Knight Wuxian,” Jin Guangyao greeted politely. “Care to explain why you’re breaking into the Chancellor’s private property?”

“Care to explain why Jin Guangshan has kids locked in his basement?” Wei Wuxian shot back. “Or the stolen Jedi artifacts? Or the Sith holocrons?”

“The Jedi do not own the Force,” Jin Guangyao said.

“And Jin Guangshan does not own people,” Wei Wuxian snarled. 

He pushed Mo Xuanyu behind him and stalked forward. Jin Guangyao fired once at Wei Wuxian and once at Mo Xuanyu, but Wei Wuxian deflected both bolts. He sent the blaster flying across the room with contemptuous ease, just a wave of his hand, while he raised his lightsaber with his right. 

“Do you really want to be responsible for kidnapping the Vice Chancellor’s adopted children?” Jin Guangyao said quickly, as Wei Wuxian was halfway up the stairs. 

“They’re not your children,” Wei Wuxian spat, but Jin Guangyao shook his head condescendingly.

“In the eyes of the law, they are,” Jin Guangyao said. “Ah, Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian, you just had to cause trouble, didn’t you?” He stayed completely still as Wei Wuxian reached him. 

“Don’t think I don’t know that the Chancellor is involved,” Wei Wuxian warned.

“Jin Guangshan didn’t know about any of this,” Jin Guangyao said promptly.

“You’re lying,” Wei Wuxian hissed, but he didn’t so much as blink at Wei Wuxian’ lightsaber pointed at his throat. “You think I can’t feel it? You’re scared that your brilliant plan is falling to pieces around you, and you’re so desperate for his approval you’d take all the blame yourself.”

“There is nothing,” Jin Guangyao said calmly, “that you can prove. I, however, can prove that you illegally broke over fifty prisoners-of-war out of a POW camp–”

“There was a _child–”_

“What child? You broke into the Chancellor’s private residence, you threaten the Vice Chancellor’s life, and all this for proof you don’t have. Really, Wei Wuxian.” Jin Guangyao tutted as if disappointed. “There’s enough accusations to warrant a charge of treason.”

“But,” said an oily voice from the top of the stairs, “you have another choice.” Jin Guangshan stood in his fancy golden silks, eyeing him greedily, and suddenly Wei Wuxian knew what his proposal was going to be. “I’ll send the kids to your Order,” he said, “but you stay here.”

Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes. “What makes you think I can’t walk out of here with them right now?”

“Oh, I’m sure you _can,”_ Jin Guangshan said airily, waving a hand dismissively, “but do you _want_ to put your Order through that? After all, they’re stretched rather thin right now, fighting a war, or so I hear. They hardly have the time to defend one of their most prominent members from treason charges.”

Wei Wuxian hesitated, because that’s what he’d been thinking. The Jedi simply did not have the resources to protect him. He couldn’t ask them to do that, not if he also wanted to protect the Wens he’d saved, Mo Xuanyu, and Xue Yang.

“I’ll never give up the secrets of the Jedi,” Wei Wuxian said, wavering.

But Jin Guangshan just smiled. “Perhaps you’ll change your mind after you’re abandoned by your Order. I’ve been reliably informed of several methods that can be quite…persuasive.”

* * *

Qishan was scorched black from rubble and red from blood. The remnants of the once mighty Wen fought desperately, making one last stand. Armies clashed all over Nightless City, until the air echoed with the sounds of blasters and fire from starfighter dogfights. The giant battleships of the Republic lay just out of orbit, fighting off Wen Ruohan’s last fleet. 

Wen Ruohan’s once magnificent palace was on fire when the Sith finally emerged. The steps of the palace were littered with bodies and the still standing figures of Republic soldiers, exhausted but fighting on into the building. The great doors opened with a dramatic slam, revealing the tall figure dressed and drenched in red. 

Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue were the first up the steps, blue and green lightsabers fast and deadly. Wen Ruohan ignited his own red lightsaber, and the three disappeared in a blur of colors. Jiang Yanli stood in the middle of the steps. She knew she’d be no help in a lightsaber duel, so she directed forces instead, sending Republic soldiers away to help elsewhere. Then she raised one hand and uprooted an entire column of the palace. Wen Ruohan was forced to deal with the palace collapsing on top of him and the two Jedi fighting him with everything they had. Lan Wangji, Jiang Wanyin, and Jin Zixuan joined them, adding blue, violet, and yellow to the mix. 

Suddenly, Jiang Yanli gasped. “A-Xian’s in trouble,” she said, not a sliver of doubt in her voice. She sat down on the steps of Nightless City, and right then and there, began to meditate. 

Lan Wangji disengaged from the fight and retreated to protect Jiang Yanli while she meditated. Wen Ruohan sent Jin Zixuan flying into one of the still standing columns. He stopped Jiang Cheng’s double-bladed saber without touching it and sent him tumbling down the steps.

One final Jedi emerged from the shadows, as if she’d been hiding there. Baoshan Sanren walked in bare feet across the ashen, bloody marble floor of the Sun Palace. She dressed in simple pale gray robes, and she stood a foot shorter than the men there.

Wen Ruohan’s face had an ugly look. “So,” he sneered, “Wen Qing finally betrayed me.” He threw Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue off like irritating insects and turned to face her. 

“You betrayed her,” Baoshan Sanren said, “when you betrayed the Jedi Order.”

Wen Ruohan batted the accusation aside with a careless wave. “Who cares?”

“Stay back,” Baoshan Sanren warned Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue, who’d been approaching from behind. They listened to her, and stayed back. They trusted her, even if they’d never seen her fight. Jiang Cheng helped Jin Zixuan up and they all stood back.

“I suppose we’ll finally find out who’s really better, Baoshan Sanren,” Wen Ruohan mused, circling her like a hawk circles a mouse. It was clear who he thought was the most powerful of the two of them.

“You always did think too highly of yourself, Ruohan,” Baoshan Sanren said quietly, and ignited her white lightsaber.

But Wen Ruohan didn’t listen.

* * *

“The Yiling Patriarch is missing!” “Famed Jedi Knight Wei Wuxian has vanished!”

These were the headlines that greeted the exhausted Jedi returning from the battle of Nightless City. One sleep cycle had passed, and many were now nursing wounds as the entire Council gathered in their actual chamber for the first time since the war began.

“He’s being held by Jin Guangshan,” is what Jiang Yanli had to say, from when she’d managed to meditate during the middle of battle to find Wei Wuxian spiritually. 

“He was supposed to keep a low profile,” Jiang Cheng griped. No one had the energy to rebuke him or kick him out, which was why Yu Ziyuan was combing his hair while he angrily ate soup. Jin Zixuan had fallen asleep in Jiang Yanli’s lap at some point, and no one had the heart to move him, especially not Jiang Yanli. (No one pointed out that this supposed official Council meeting was more of one giant slumber party in which politics were discussed). 

“I got the impression that he was making a less than savory trade,” Jiang Yanli offered. 

“What sort of trade was he making with _Jin Guangshan?”_ Nie Mingjue groaned.

“Excuse me?” Knight Luo Qingyang poked her head inside the chamber. “There are two kids here. They say they were sent by Wei Wuxian.”

Two boys, around the ages of thirteen and fifteen, filed into the room, looking like hunted animals. They turned out to be Mo Xuanyu and Xue Yang, and they had a lot to say about what Jin Guangshan had been up to. 

“But what can we do about it?” Nie Mingjue asked grumpily once they were finished, and his appropriate reactions of shock and outrage were done with. “They’re too old to take as younglings–”

Jiang Fengmian coughed into his fist. 

“–For real this time,” Nie Mingjue added, even grumpier than before. “We have no word as to where Wei Wuxian is other than Yanli and two kids–”

“Do you not believe her?” Jiang Cheng asked hotly.

“Be quiet, A-Cheng, he believes her,” Yu Ziyuan snapped. “But the public won’t.”

“So what do we do?” Lan Xichen asked, echoing Nie Mingjue’s words. 

Slowly, they all turned to stare at the simmering, overflowing wreck of emotions that was Lan Wangji, standing by the wall. He’d gone so still and silent that most had forgotten he was there until Mo Xuanyu stuttered out how Wei Wuxian had given himself up to protect them and the Jedi. 

“Wangji,” Xichen began, pleadingly, but even then he knew it was too late. 

“I will save Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji announced, and left.

Lan Xichen closed his eyes in defeat. “Force-fucking-damnit,” he swore, and everyone stared at him in utter shock.

“What did I miss?” Jin Zixuan asked.

* * *

 _Wei Ying, Wei Ying, Wei Ying._ Lan Wangji’s head and heart were pounding when he took the transport up to the Chancellor’s office. He could feel Wei Ying’s presence behind the doors–muted, but there. His fingers brushed over his lightsaber anxiously. 

He was stopped before he even got out of the transport. The doors opened to the full contingency of Jin Guangshan’s personal security forces, more than twenty all told. 

“Knight Wangji,” one of them said, voice strained. “You do not have an appointment with Chancellor Guangshan. Please turn around.”

Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes. “The Chancellor is holding Knight Wuxian prisoner.”

There was a pregnant pause, where Lan Wangji stared them down and they refused to move. 

“He attempted a coup against the Chancellor,” one said finally. 

Lan Wangji could not tell if she believed it, if they all genuinely believed Wei Ying was guilty.

He did not care.

Lan Wangji ignited his lightsaber. 

The inside of the Chancellor’s chambers looked the same as it usually did, except for the part where Jin Zixun stood behind one of the couches, pressing a blaster to Wei Ying’s temple. Lan Wangji also spotted a cart next to the couch with a needle and a small medicine container. He looked back at Wei Ying’s sleeping figure, head rolling back limply despite the loud fight that had just happened in the hallway outside. _Drugs,_ he thought. _They’re keeping him drugged. What else have they done to him?_ Lan Wangji could feel his vision whiting out with rage. All his life he’d built his self-restraint into an immovable force, but all his rules went flying out the window when it came to Wei Ying. 

“Give him back,” Lan Wangji said. He knew he made for an impressive figure, given the destruction in the hallway behind him, his colder than ice glare, and larger than life figure. 

Jin Zixun’s hand shook, but it didn’t move from Wei Ying’s head. “Why do you care so much, anyway?” He demanded shrilly. “I heard about how he ended up with the Jedi. He’ s just some orphan you picked up off the streets. You could’ve picked up anyone’s trash and you ended up with this rabid dog. He’s nothing,” he said, voice going higher and higher the longer Lan Wangji stared at him. “He’s nobody who thinks he’s someone special just because he can wave a lightsaber around and do your voodoo Jedi magic.” 

Lan Wangji stared at him, and somewhere in the back of his mind he thought, _I can resolve this peacefully. I can rip his blaster away and arrest him. I don’t need to use more violence._

But mostly he just thought: _Jin Zixun deserves to die._

“He wasn’t supposed to cause this much trouble,” Jin Zixun continued desperately, almost whining. “How was I supposed to know that Wen Ruohan would be killed the next day? We didn’t even get anything useful out of him and now you stupid Jedi are back, causing trouble for your stupid orphan trash. I hope you got a good use out of him,” he added spitefully, with the edge of a man who knows he has lost and is searching for the most hurtful parting words to say. He was rightfully terrified of Lan Wangji, and saw no happy ending for himself.

“That’s what you see in him, isn’t it?” he insisted. “A pretty face.” Jin Zixun’s left hand, which had been on the other side of Wei Ying’s head, holding it to the blaster, slid down to his cheek. He gripped Wei Ying’s jaw in a mockery of compassion.

“Let go of him.” Lan Wangji’s words were closer to a snarl of rage than a coherent sentence. 

Jin Zixun ignored him, a hunted look in his eyes as he tightened his grip on Wei Ying’s chin. He tilted Wei Ying’s head back, exposing a bruise-lined neck. Lan Wangji’s heart twisted at the sight. There wasn’t a single Jedi in the galaxy who didn’t feel his billowing rage, screaming into the Force, in that moment.

* * *

“Oh, no,” Lan Xichen moaned. “Wangji, please, just take a deep breath and think about this.”

Lan Qiren's face was pale. "We're going to lose him to the Dark Side."

* * *

“A pretty fucking face,” Jin Zixun repeated, seeming to relish in the modicum of power he held over Wei Ying. Lan Wangji did not know which connotation Jin Zixun had meant to imply with that. A _pretty_ fucking face? A pretty _fucking_ face? “I only had him for one day. You–”

Lan Wangji killed him.

Once the rage had subsided, allowing Lan Wangji to think more clearly, he slipped his lightsaber back into his belt and gathered Wei Ying’s sleeping body gently in his arms. He covered Wei Ying with his outer robe for no particular reason and strode back to the transport. He set the destination for the Jedi Temple, and he set Wei Ying in his lap.

Not once did he feel regret for killing Jin Zixun.

* * *

“Chancellor Guangshan,” Jin Zixuan said, “you’re under arrest.”

“In light of recent discoveries about your activities, the Senate has voted you out of office,” Wen Qing said primly.

“I _am_ the Senate,” Jin Guangshan snarled. “You have _no_ right!”

“On the contrary,” Jiang Yanli said calmly, “as sworn defenders of the Republic, we have a duty to do so.”

Jin Guangshan, still standing behind his desk, threw her an ugly look. They’d burst into his home, invaded his study, and cornered him behind his desk. “Don’t you want to know where your precious star is?” Jin Guangshan mocked. He opened a hidden drawer and pulled out a lightsaber, which he ignited with the flick of a lever. 

“That’s not yours,” Jiang Cheng snarled. He would recognize it anywhere. 

“Well, Wei Wuxian is not around to claim it, now is he?” Jin Guangshan bestowed a poisonous smile on them.

The Jedi looked at each other, and collectively decided not to mention Lan Wangji. 

“Jin Guangshan, you’re still under arrest,” Mianmian said dryly. “If you choose–”

Jin Guangshan jumped on his desk and leapt at what he perceived to be the weakest link. Qin Su dodged, disarmed, and then kicked him down. Jiang Yanli picked up Wei Wuxian’s lightsaber from the floor, and Mianmian kept Jin Guangshan pinned to the ground so He Lijuan could slide a pair of binders on his wrists. Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan hauled him to his feet, where he met He Lijuan’s cold glare and for the very first time, face flushed with embarrassment and rage, did not try to flirt with her. 

“What an asshole,” Jiang Cheng muttered once Jiang Yanli and He Lijuan had left, marching Jin Guangshan to the Senate building. 

“It could be worse,” Jin Zixuan offered. “Imagine being his son.”

“Force,” Qin Su said, “I think I’d prefer not to know.”

* * *

Wei Wuxian opened his eyes in a very familiar infirmary and immediately tried to sit up. 

“Stay down, idiot.” Wen Qing’s bossy voice swam into focus.

“Jin Guangshan–” he choked out. “The kids–”

“All taken care of.” She pushed Wei Wuxian back down on his bed. “Now if you would stay still and let me _explain?”_ Wen Qing waited a moment to raise an eyebrow at him before continuing. “Wen Ruohan is dead,” she began. “The war is over. Yes, the Jedi Council got your kids, no, they haven’t decided what to do with them yet. The Senate voted Jin Guangshan out of power shortly after you were rescued.”

“Who rescued me?” Wei Wuxian asked, idly curious.

Wen Qing was quiet for a second. “Lan Wangji,” she said finally, grudgingly.

Wei Wuxian’s heart caught in his throat. “Did he get hurt? Did something happen to him?”

“Well,” Wen Qing said. She wouldn’t meet his eyes, which made Wei Wuxian panic and try to sit up, because Wen Qing would never just _not_ look someone in the eye. “He…Wuxian, he Fell.”

Wei Wuxian stared up at her, uncomprehendingly. “He…Fell?”

“He used the Dark side,” Wen Qing elaborated. “He killed some and injured many security guards, and he murdered Jin Zixun.”

“Who’s Jin Zixun?” Wei Wuxian asked blankly. 

She sighed. “The idiot asshole, Jin Guangshan’s secretary?”

“Ah, yes, I remember him,” Wei Wuxian said vaguely. “But…are you trying to tell me that Lan Zhan is a _Sith?”_

“He…used the Dark side,” Wen Qing said slowly. “And the whole galaxy felt his anger when he…so. He’s in the holding cells below the Temple right now, I think, because they didn’t know what to do with him–Wei Wuxian!”

He’d sat up again, and she tried to push him down but he threw her off, scrambling out of bed in his off-white hospital nightgown. The door opened just as Wei Wuxian was leaving and he ran right into Lan Xichen, whose eyes were still red-rimmed from crying.

“Master Xichen, I don’t understand,” Wei Wuxian said immediately.

“It's true,” Lan Xichen answered. “He Fell.”

Wei Wuxian recoiled, looking utterly lost for one terrible moment before he squared his shoulders. “I’m going to save him.”

“Wuxian, he’s _gone.”_ Lan Xichen’s voice cracked. “There’s no coming back–”

“You’re trying to tell me that Lan Zhan is _evil,”_ Wei Wuxian accused. “I don’t believe it.”

“Wangji Fell, Wuxian!” Lan Xichen shouted, looking on the verge of tears. 

“He’s still the same person,” Wei Wuxian said stubbornly. “He’s still good. I can bring him back. I know I can.”

“He’s not,” Lan Xichen said tiredly. “He’s– _changed._ You can’t. Don’t you think I would bring him back if I could? Wangji is dead–” and finally, he started crying before Wei Wuxian’s very eyes. “Our Wangji is dead.”

“I can save him,” Wei Wuxian said again, and pushed past him. 

Lan Xichen didn’t bother trying to stop him, just continued crying in the hallway, so Wei Wuxian ran. He ran through the hallways in his hospital nightgown, ignoring the shocked stares and occasional “Wei Wuxian!”s when he was recognized. His head swam with the effort to shake off the residual effect of the drugs they’d given him, but he forced himself onward until he came to a halt outside of Lan Zhan’s cell.

Wei Wuxian hit the release code. 

Lan Zhan looked up from his cross-legged meditative position. He was still wearing his standard Jedi robes, sans the outer cloak. He looked so very, very, tired. 

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian gasped. He stumbled inside and sank to his knees, reaching for Lan Zhan. “They said you used the Dark side, Lan Zhan. Why?”

Lan Zhan looked away. “I was angry,” he said, but that’s how you used the Dark side, or how the Dark side used you. “Jin Zixun said–unforgivable things. I.” He pressed his lips into a thin line. “Do not regret it.” And that was how you Fell.

“Lan _Zhan,”_ Wei Wuxian said again, tremulous, and pulled him into a hug. 

“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan protested, though he lacked the strength of will to push Wei Ying away. “No, Wei Ying, I do not deserve–”

“Don’t tell me what you deserve, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying said, face buried in Lan Zhan’s shoulder. 

“But–”

“No buts.”

“But I am still so _angry,”_ Lan Zhan admitted. Wei Wuxian could tell; he could feel the simmering layer of anger that Lan Zhan had not managed to smother since he’d killed Jin Zixun. “I do not understand how you do it, Wei Ying,” he confessed. “How do you just–let it go?”

“Aiyah, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian said softly, but still half-teasing, “don’t you know there’s so much more to life than being mad? Why would you be angry when you can be happy?” 

“But I do not know _how,”_ Lan Zhan said plainly.

“Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian sighed. “You make this too hard on yourself.” Then he surged forward, and kissed him.

Lan Zhan’s eyes went wide. And Wei Wuxian would never quite decipher the emotions that swirled out of him in that moment, but not one of them was anger.

* * *

“That’s not what I was expecting when you said save him,” Lan Xichen said weakly.

“That’s on you, Xichen,” Nie Mingjue retorted. 

“Can we please talk about something else?” Jiang Fengmian asked.

“Something other than your grandpadawan making someone _un_ Fall through the power of love?” Yu Ziyuan shot back. She looked like she’d eaten a sour lemon.

Possibly she should’ve looked away before Lan Zhan and Wei Ying did more than hold hands.

“And for his next invention, Wei Wuxian reinvents the Jedi Order!” Jiang Cheng muttered under his breath, and Jin Zixuan choked on his tea.

“Well,” Wen Qing said, tone dryer than dust, “I can confirm they’re both mentally fine.” Then she glared at both of them. “Don’t think either of you are getting out of therapy.”

“I pity the therapist,” Yu Ziyuan muttered, even dryer. 

“So,” He Lijuan began, side-eyeing the new couple, who were sitting together in one of the Council hover chairs. Jiang Yanli had given her seat up so they could stay together, which meant everyone else got to see them practically sit in each other’s laps. He Lijuan was loath to bring up the precepts in the Jedi Code about relationships, but someone had to. “Are we going to…?”

“No,” said nine voices all at once. 

They all turned to look at Baoshan Sanren, wherever she was hiding. Grandmaster Baoshan rotated her hover chair around. She was small enough to sit meditation-style in her seat, which was exactly what she was doing. 

“Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are a dyad in the Force,” she intoned. She looked the very image of an ancient and wizened Jedi master, and not at all an ancient and very tired Jedi master who was using her centuries of knowledge to come up with an obscure term for why separating them was a bad idea. “They cannot be separated.”

And so it was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't think too much about the plot holes they're not going to go away. Also fun fact it is 4:35 am! I have not edited or reread this at all!
> 
> (Did I have to throw "I am the Senate" in there? Yes. Yes I did. Thank you for reading my trash fire angst fic).


	2. bonus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more/missing scenes, because I had ideas. Who knows, I might write more if I have more ideas.

Wei Wuxian was the first Jedi to earn a title, and like many of his accomplishments it came with terrible experiences that made Jiang Cheng doubt it was worth it. 

The planet of Yiling, despite having nothing of worth, was situated right in the middle of all four major galactic highways, and as such had been viciously fought over in the past, which was what left the planet such a dump in the first place. The war between the Republic and the QishanWen was no exception, and one of the earliest battles in the war took place over its starports. The Republic general in the battle lost, and crash-landed his starfighter on the planet, where he proceeded to hide from the Wens for a full three months while they blockaded the planet and attempted to hunt him down.

Wei Wuxian didn’t think he’d return to Yiling this way. 

The mountains of Yiling, like the planet in general, were dark and foreboding. The highest peak loomed out of the sky, smothered in dark gray clouds, while loose rocks and sharp crags covered the ground below. The air wasn’t winter-weather cold, but unpleasantly chilly. 

The bright glare of a lightsaber flashed in the darkness, slicing through a large rock blocking access to a cave near the top of the mountain. Wei Wuxian ducked under the entrance of the cave, stepping over the halved sections of the rock, and held his lightsaber up as a flashlight to see further into the cave. The ceiling was about a foot over his height, and almost ten meters long. Wei Wuxian stayed silent for a moment, but didn’t hear any critters or creatures running about.

The Wens had spent weeks searching for any sign of him in the cities, beating and killing any civilians who they suspected of hiding him, or any that they claimed were in the way. It wasn’t safe in the cities.

It wasn’t exactly safe in the mountain either; they were uninhabited for a reason. Wei Wuxian had already killed a whole range of predatory animals that came seeking after his scent. Still, the Wens weren’t searching the mountains (yet), so he was safer here than he was in the cities. 

He stood ten paces back from the mouth of the cave and set his meager pack of supplies down. The remains of his starfighter were hidden further down the mountain. Everything he’d managed to salvage from the wreckage was in his pack, along with a limited supply of food and water. 

Wei Wuxian turned his focus to the entrance of the cave and raised both hands. Slowly, the pile of rocks wobbled into the air and arranged themselves into a naturalish-looking pile of rocks that just so happened to be blocking the cave entrance. Moving a pile of rocks definitely fell under the umbrella of menial labor activities that the Jedi were supposed to do without using the Force. But if there was ever a time when they’d give him a pass, it was now, and Wei Wuxian hadn’t even considered doing it by hand when this was so much easier. 

Once the pile of rocks was in place, Wei Wuxian took out his lightsaber again, and used the light to find a spot in the center of the cave. He stuck the lightsaber back in his belt and settled into a meditative position on the floor.

Along with being dark and foreboding, the mountains of Yiling were practically rolling in the Dark Side. The peak he was on, aptly called the Burial Mounds, was the site of an ancient Sith Temple. A Sith empire once ruled the galaxy from this planet–from this very mountain–and the remnants were found everywhere. 

Wei Wuxian was still injured from the crash landing. He was running on only a few hours of sleep, little food and water, and too much adrenaline. He’d been running for his life for the past four and a half weeks without pause, as he’d intervened every time he saw Wen soldiers mistreating civilians. He was exhausted, paranoid, and completely alone on an enemy planet where the worst memories of his life originated. And the Burial Mounds were wreathed in the Dark Side, oppressing any positive emotion he might be feeling. 

It was almost as if he was cut off from the Force. 

But the Force is never truly not there, and Wei Wuxian was not one of the most powerful Jedi for nothing. Giving up or giving in was never one of his options. So Wei Wuxian took a deep breath, sought comfort, and reached for the Force. And he found it, just like he always did, from the same source he always had for the past decade. 

Jiang Yanli sat in her chambers in a deep meditation, as she’d spent most of her waking hours for the past four and a half weeks. As soon as she felt Wei Wuxian reach out for her, she latched on. 

Wei Wuxian felt the moment Jiang Yanli’s mind noticed his. She directed the full focus of her impressive mental force at him, overwhelming him with an ocean of calm. Wave after wave of the exact emotions he’d been missing flooded his senses. Jiang Yanli’s concern wrapped Wei Wuxian like a warm blanket, one he desperately needed on this cold planet. 

_ Ah, Yanli… _ he thought, unable to hold back the sheer longing. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to curl up under a pile of blankets and eat hot soup while Yanli gently told him off for getting into trouble yet again.  _ I’m scared, Yanli.  _

Wei Wuxian had not been alone from the moment Jiang Fengmian found a little boy named A-Ying floating little objects in exchange for coins on the same streets of Yiling he now found himself on. He never wanted to go back to being alone. He never wanted to leave the Jedi, his family. 

Jiang Yanli sent back comfort as only she could.  _ I’m here, A-Xian. Don’t be scared. It’s going to be alright.  _ It should’ve been impossible from that distance to communicate actual words solely through the Force. But Wei Wuxian practically didn’t know the meaning of the word, and he was Yanli’s padawan, who she’d sworn to protect. Jiang Yanli ruled the mind, and she wasn’t about to let something like distance stop her.

_ Five weeks,  _ she thought.  _ Give us five weeks, A-Xian. We are coming, I promise, I swear. We will never abandon you, A-Xian. Just give us five weeks. Five weeks.  _

Five weeks. Wei Wuxian could last five weeks. He emerged from his deep meditation with these two words and one promise echoing around in his brain. Slowly, Wei Wuxian opened his eyes. The cave was still pitch black, and the Burial Mounds were still rolling in malice. The Dark Side was still alive, promising him that he didn’t have to be afraid anymore. 

Jiang Yanli was still alive, promising him that he didn’t have to be afraid anymore. Wei Wuxian stood up, still wrapped in love and hope and promise, and the Dark Side couldn’t touch him.

* * *

The final battle of Yiling took place seven weeks later, two weeks after Republic forces began a large-scale battle against the QishanWen forces. Wei Wuxian was free to act for the last two weeks, as the Wen soldiers were all recalled to deal with the Republic fleets, and act he did. Although Jiang Yanli had been assuring the other Jedi that he was still alive, his presence was officially announced when he snuck aboard a Wen destroyer and promptly crashed it into another Wen destroyer. The chaos and confusion it caused was all the Republic forces needed to push their advantage. But during all the chaos and confusion, they lost track of Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu, who were making an attempt to escape the battle alive when it was clear they were going to lose. The Jedi would’ve let them go, as they were more concerned with defeating the Wen forces than just two Wens. 

All the Jedi, that is, except for Wei Wuxian.

* * *

The projector flickered on, casting blue light on the floor of the circular chamber of the Jedi Council. The interior of a star destroyer’s command center materialized, from the perspective of one of the security cameras. There was no sound, but a miniature Wei Wuxian came into view, lightsaber swinging as he staggered in, one hand pressed against a blaster wound on his side. 

“This was leaked to the public,” Lan Xichen reported. “We don’t know how.”

The Jedi watched in silence as Wei Wuxian removed his hand from his side to wrap it around the hilt of his lightsaber, just in time to block a blow from Wen Zhuliu. The younger man nearly bent in half from the force of the blow, but somehow managed to remain upright. From there the duel just got painful to watch. Wen Zhuliu was clearly toying with him. Wei Wuxian had been on the run for three months, and he was injured. Wen Zhuliu looked like he woke up just for this battle. 

“They also somehow found out that Wuxian used to live in Yiling as a child,” Lan Xichen added. Then he winced, as they all did, as Wen Zhuliu batted Wei Wuxian away like an annoying fly. The Jedi went flying into a wall, but Wen Zhuliu didn’t advance. He stayed still instead, listening to whatever Wen Chao was screeching at him in the background.

“How?” Nie Mingjue demanded. He and Jiang Fengmian were the sole Jedi not physically present in the room. Eventually the war would progress to the point where all the Jedi Council was serving on a battlefield somewhere, but not yet. 

“We don’t know,” Lan Xichen said helplessly. “Maybe the locals recognized him? It’s all over the nets. The news has been talking about little else. They’re acting like he’s some sort of savior who came back to save them.” 

“The public has started calling him the Yiling Patriarch,” Jiang Fengmian said from his holoprojector. “Apparently he kept on trying to protect the civilians in the past three months.”

In the other projector, Wen Zhuliu calmly stalked forwards while Wei Wuxian struggled to stand up. The Jedi flung his hand out, vaguely in the direction of the ceiling, seemingly doing nothing. Wen Zhuliu placed one boot on Wei Wuxian’s chest, pinning him down to the ground and not budging an inch, despite Wei Wuxian’s increasingly frantic attempts to get him off. The Wen leveled his lightsaber at Wei Wuxian’s face and said something that made Wei Wuxian’s look of increasing fear turn into rage. Wei Wuxian tried to shove him off using the Force and the two were locked in a stalemate of wills, each fighting for the upper hand. 

Then the ceiling exploded. The device Wei Wuxian had thrown on the ceiling unleashed a fire charge that caught Wen Zhuliu directly in the back, and the distraction won Wei Wuxian the fight. Wen Zhuliu was thrown into the blast and simply exploded, while Wei Wuxian immediately stood up and looked for Wen Chao, who once again tried to run. 

This attempt was foiled by one tired, raised hand. Wen Ruohan’s second Apprentice was dragged backwards through the burning control center, screaming and seemingly forgetting all about his lightsaber. Wei Wuxian’s lightsaber drove right through the center of Wen Chao’s chest, cutting off his screams. The Jedi dropped him to the floor and looked down on him, hair falling forwards and obscuring his face from the security camera still recording the scene. Then he staggered away, dragging his feet until he made it just outside of the command center, where he was safe from the toxic smoke now billowing inside the command center. Wei Wuxian collapsed first to his knees and then to his side, and by the time his face was turned to the camera again, his eyes were closed.

The projector shut off.

Yu Ziyuan cleared her throat. “Did he…Fall?”

A few minutes after the events shown by the holoprojector, Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng would burst into the room, pick up Wei Wuxian, and run. They would carry Wei Wuxian’s unconscious body to the nearest Republic transport and bundle him inside. A few minutes after that, and Wei Wuxian would be on his way back to Coruscant for the first time in three months, and still nobody knew whether he’d Fallen or not. 

It was impossible to tell from the video alone. While none of them blamed Wei Wuxian for wanting to kill Wen Chao, it wasn’t exactly the Jedi way. It was hard to argue whether Wei Wuxian had needed to kill Wen Chao or not, or if he could’ve simply arrested him. On the one hand, Wen Chao was hardly a threat to a Jedi of Wei Wuxian’s caliber. But on the other hand, Wei Wuxian had been literally eight steps from collapsing himself. 

“No,” Jiang Yanli said sharply. She was the newest Jedi Councillor, and while she would’ve deserved it in a year or two, her appointment was sped up to free Jiang Fengmian for the battlefield. “He did not.”

“Are you sure?” He Lijuan asked, kindly. “I don’t mean to question you on your own padawan, Yanli, but if any situation was primed to make a Jedi Fall…this would be it.”

“Yiling was the home planet of the last Sith empire,” Xiao Xingchen added. “The Burial Mounds must reek of the Dark Side. Three months living there, well. It…wouldn’t be surprising.”

“Not A-Xian,” Jiang Yanli insisted. “I connected with him just yesterday, and he was…” Certainly not fine. “…Managing.”

“If there was ever a Jedi who  _ wouldn’t  _ Fall,” Jiang Fengmian spoke up, “surely it would be Wei Wuxian.”

Still, all of them recalled Wei Wuxian staring down at Wen Chao’s dying body, and none of them knew for sure. 

“Well, none of us are looking forward to facing a Sith Wei Wuxian,” Nie Mingjue said bluntly, and paused when all the other Jedi Councillors winced at the genuinely terrifying thought. “Why don’t we hope for the best?”

“His transport arrives back in Coruscant in two standard hours,” Lan Xichen reported. “According to Wangji, he hasn’t woken up yet. Perhaps if he woke up in a familiar environment…”

Jiang Yanli stood from her hover chair. “I will ask the cooks to prepare lotus and pork rib soup,” she announced. 

No one disagreed with her.

* * *

When Wei Wuxian woke up to the smell of soup and the sound of Jiang Yanli’s gentle voice, he cried in relief. He sat up, and found himself bundled in too many layers and too many blankets. He was laid out on his bed, having slept through his entire medical examination, wearing clean clothes that he didn’t remember putting on. 

The door to his room was closed, and behind it, Lan Xichen waited with Yu Ziyuan and He Lijuan, hand ready on the hilt of his blue lightsaber, waiting to see if Wangji’s friend was alright. 

“A-Xian?”

Wei Wuxian blinked and saw Jiang Yanli’s worried face, and that’s when he finally cried in relief. She sat on one side of the low table in his room, with an entire pot of soup and about two whole gallons of water. It was all so  _ real,  _ he couldn’t help but cry. Wei Wuxian reached for the Force, and it lit up with life and light like it hadn’t done for him in the past three months. The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was home to more than 3,000 Jedi, each and every one of them a light presence in the Force. For a beautiful, exhilarating moment, it overwhelmed his senses: the feeling of the bright, baby younglings down in the creche, and the steady, deep feeling of the old Jedi Masters. His three months of the cold and lifeless presence of Yiling were over. He was done. He was free. He was home, and Wei Wuxian cried even harder at the thought.

He struggled to sit up, ignoring the pull of too many wounds, and slid off the bed in an ungainly heap. “Yanli,” Wei Wuxian croaked, and immediately she was there.

“A-Xian, it’s okay now,” Jiang Yanli assured him warmly. She kneeled in front of him and pulled him into a hug, one hand stroking his hair, and the other holding his shaking middle. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now, A-Xian. Yanli’s got you.”

“It’s over,” Wei Wuxian said through numb lips. His face was buried in Yanli’s shoulder, and his arms were wrapped right around her. “Force, it’s finally over. I’m home.” Her shoulder began to get soaked, but neither let go. “I’m  _ home.” _

“You’re home,” Jiang Yanli agreed. She summoned up a smile. “And I have lotus and pork rib soup ready, just for you.”

Wei Wuxian’s smile grew watery too. “Of course you do, Master,” he said fondly. “I missed you so much.”

The door burst open, and Wei Wuxian immediately tensed and reeled back, hand grasping for a lightsaber that wasn’t there. He paused a moment later, taking in the sight of Jedi Councillor Lan Xichen.

“Ah,” Wei Wuxian said lamely, after one charged moment. “Sorry. It’s good to see you, Master Xichen.”

Wei Wuxian scooted forwards until he was right by the table. He reached for the ladle and began serving himself soup. He paused only once to close his eyes and breathe deeply, inhaling the savory smell of his favorite soup. A soft smile crept up on his face, and his stomach rumbled loudly.

“It’s good to see you too, Wuxian,” Lan Xichen said honestly. He clasped his hands behind his back, pretending he’d never been reaching for his lightsaber. He looked Wei Wuxian up and down. While the Yiling Patriarch looked tattered and frail, there was no denying that his Force presence, one that every Jedi in the Temple had felt when he reached out for the Force a minute ago, was still undeniably Light. “We are all glad that you are alright.”

Wei Wuxian smiled ruefully. “I will be,” he said.

* * *

It was feats like the Siege of Yiling that left the Jedi so confused when they realized that the public saw Wei Wuxian as a wild card, as the unruly Jedi. It was true that Wei Wuxian had a tendency to go off on half-baked ideas, and to ignore Jedi rules that he disagreed with. And it was true that Wei Wuxian could sometimes be found in the archives, going through Sith holocrons just because he had an  _ idea  _ that he wouldn’t ignore just because Sith holocrons were taboo. But the Siege of Yiling cemented in their minds what many Jedi had already thought: there was no Jedi more quintessentially Jedi than Jedi Knight Wei Wuxian.

The public was a different story. They saw his feats, inventions, and impressive victories as arrogance. They thought his harebrained plans were bound to fail eventually, leading to losses that they could’ve just avoided if Wei Wuxian had just retreated when everyone told him to. If Wei Wuxian argued with Republic Senators, then he was being rude. If he used the Force in public, then he was showing off. If he won a battle with just himself and his starfighter, he was being arrogant. 

But while the Jedi were miffed to see Wei Wuxian treated this way by the public, they were stunned to see that the Jedi that the public chose to hold up as  _ the  _ paragon Jedi, the ultimate expression of the best the Jedi had to offer, was none other than Lan Wangji, the newly-minted Hanguang-jun.

In all fairness, Lan Wangji  _ was  _ one of the best Knights that the Jedi had to offer. He and Wei Wuxian dueled every week, and had yet to determine a winner. His mental shields were unparalleled through sheer necessity, and he’d once stopped a starfighter in the middle of taking off with one hand. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were both passionate and brilliant, and they both felt so strongly, but the difference between them was that Lan Wangji just didn’t  _ stop.  _ They were both deeply emotional people, but Lan Wangji just wouldn’t stop  _ feeling emotions.  _ It was…a bit of a problem.

* * *

“The Hejian maneuver was incredibly irresponsible,” sniffed Senator Ouyang. 

Wei Wuxian didn’t refrain from rolling his eyes. This was the second hour of questioning from the committee, and the four Jedi Knights were getting antsy. Even Lan Zhan, though he didn’t show it. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“You can say that now in hindsight,” Senator Yu argued. “But what about next time? Will your little schemes always succeed?”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Wei Wuxian challenged. “I only do things I know can succeed.”

_ “Can  _ succeed is not the same thing as  _ will  _ succeed,” Senator Yu said. She was three times the age of the young Jedi Knights, and dripping in condescension. 

“He jumped off a moving speeder yelling obscenities!” Senator Yao said, appealing to the other three Jedi. “Is–”

Jin Zixuan looked vaguely uncomfortable and mostly bored. Lan Zhan looked as expressionless as he had at the beginning of the panel. 

“He was not yelling obscenities,” Jiang Cheng interrupted. 

“Yeah,” Wei Wuxian agreed, smirking a little. “I yelled ‘come at me, Wens.’ There’s a difference.”

Senator Yao’s face was red. “Not to mention his rude behavior towards Jin Zixun! Is this acceptable to the Jedi Order?”

_ Who?  _ Wei Wuxian wondered.

_ You met him yesterday,  _ Jiang Cheng thought.  _ He called you the Republic’s attack dog? _

_ Oh.  _ Wei Wuxian thought for a moment. His memory banks came up blank. “Who?”

“The Chancellor’s secretary!” Senator Ouyang spluttered. “Surely you did not  _ forget.” _

The four Senators looked utterly outraged by Wei Wuxian’s insolent behavior. They thought he was arrogant, lounging in his chair, acting like he didn’t care. They were unaware that Wei Wuxian literally didn’t care, and wouldn’t remember their names in a day. 

_ I’ll pay you twenty credits if you make a scene and get us out of here,  _ Jin Zixuan thought. He continued idly inspecting his nails, a habit he picked up from his Jedi Master. He Lijuan passed all of her diva traits to her padawan. Additionally, years of watching her try every tactic to get Chancellor Jin Guangshan out of her face had left him with little respect for politicians, and a rather pessimistic view on politics in general. 

_ Irresponsible,  _ Lan Zhan thought. His word did not disguise the fact that he was feeling far more irritated than the rest of them. 

“One wonders why the Jedi chose this group of Jedi as their representatives,” Senator Yao said snidely. 

“Because the Jedi Councillors are fighting a war,” Wei Wuxian said sharply.

“When one would think,” Senator Yao continued, blithely ignoring Wei Wuxian completely, “that Wei Wuxian–”

“Knight Wuxian,” Jiang Cheng interrupted, shooting Senator Yao a glare.

_ Aw! Jiang Cheng! Coming to my defense!  _

_ Don’t make me regret it,  _ Jiang Cheng thought grumpily.

“Of course,” Senator Yao said, an oily smile on his face. He changed tacks abruptly. “And what does Knight Wangji think of this?”

The reporter at the end of the table leaned forwards. Lan Wangji was the only one who recognized her, because she was the one who chased after Wei Ying yesterday. Needless to say, she was in Lan Wangji’s black books. 

“What do you think of your colleague’s controversial actions, Hanguang-jun?” The reporter asked. Her body language was professional, but Lan Wangji picked up something off in the Force, a hidden intent that he couldn’t quite figure out.

It hardly mattered. She was a shady bitch, in Lan Wangji’s professional opinion.

The other three Jedi all choked on air at the same time, and Lan Wangji realized regretfully that they all heard his thoughts. He hurriedly pulled his mental shields down, but unfortunately he’d spent years at this point on the battlefield with his fellow Knights, where communication was often vital. They weren’t going to be shut out now by his impressive mental shielding just because Lan Wangji was embarrassed. 

“Hanguang-jun is quite the paragon of Jedi, after all,” the reporter continued. Her eyes flickered up to Lan Wangji’s face, which looked like it was carved from stone (really pretty stone), and back down. 

_ Oh my gods, she’s simping over Lan Zhan,  _ Wei Wuxian realized gleefully.

Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan both choked on nothing again, and Wei Wuxian sprang into motion.

“Oh no!” Wei Wuxian cried dramatically. “Knight Wanyin, Knight Zixuan, are you alright?” He pounded Jiang Cheng enthusiastically on the back. “I think they’re experiencing a deviation in the Force!”

_ A what,  _ Jiang Cheng thought flatly.  _ Wei Wuxian, stop hitting me, you oaf. _

Wei Wuxian “patted” Jiang Cheng on the back one last time. “Quick, we must get them to a Jedi healer!” He helped Jin Zixuan stand, and Jin Zixuan, the lazy diva, pretended to be faint for a moment. 

Lan Wangji stood, his white Jedi robes fluttering dramatically. “Of course.”

“It looks like this panel is adjourned,” Wei Wuxian said cheerfully. He picked Jiang Cheng up bridal-style, despite Jiang Cheng’s vehement protests, and sailed out of the room, followed by Lan Wangji, who helped Jin Zixuan out.

_ Damnit,  _ Jin Zixuan realized.  _ I owe Wuxian twenty credits. _

* * *

The night Wei Wuxian sent Mo Xuanyu and Xue Yang off with directions to the Jedi Temple, he had no idea that Wen Ruohan would be dead within the day. Consequently, he thought it would be months before the Jedi would be able to mount a defense for him. Jin Guangshan was currently accusing him of treason for a number of different reasons, and with a final offense currently being led against Qishan, Wei Wuxian was well and truly on his own once more. 

But he chose it, this time. 

“Lightsaber,” Jin Guangshan said, holding one hand out for Wei Wuxian’s prized possession. 

“Not until they’re gone,” Wei Wuxian said, without taking his eyes off the two kids. 

The two Jins stood behind Wei Wuxian, also watching as Mo Xuanyu fumbled with the directions Wei Wuxian had given him. 

“Well, go on,” Jin Guangshan said, sounding thoroughly irritated by the continued presence of the two kids now that he had the bigger prize within his grasp. 

Mo Xuanyu cast a wary look between the Chancellor and the Jedi. “A-are you going to h-hurt him?” He asked timidly.

Jin Guangshan’s lips stretched into an ugly smile. “That’s none of your business, brat. You sold him out to protect your own pathetic self.”

The boy trembled. “But–”

“Go,” Wei Wuxian urged, trying to look confident and in control. “It’s alright. The Jedi will protect you.”

“Of course they're going to hurt him,” Xue Yang scoffed, giving both Jins a wary look. He’d been backing slowly towards the exit. “Why wouldn’t they? Don’t be stupid, A-Yu.”

Mo Xuanyu turned his big eyes on Wei Wuxian. “Then–”

“Just go,” Wei Wuxian said, resisting the urge to grit his teeth. “There’s nothing you can do for me.  _ Go!”  _

His final word finally spurred the two boys into action, and soon they disappeared into the streets of Coruscant, headed for the Jedi Temple, carrying Wei Wuxian’s red hair ribbon. 

“Lightsaber,” Jin Guangshan said again, victoriously, one greasy hand outstretched.

Reluctantly, Wei Wuxian handed it over. Jin Guangyao immediately pulled out a pair of binders, and Jin Guangshan ignited the blade, looking up at the pillar of light in awe and envy. He swung the blade at the wall, and stumbled when instead of stopping, the lightsaber carved right through the metal. 

“Amazing,” Jin Guangshan murmured, admiring the gash in his wall. “There’s nothing quite like it.” 

It was true that there was nothing quite like kyber crystals in the galaxy, but unfortunately anyone could wield a lightsaber. 

“Actually,” Wei Wuxian said, while Jin Guangyao forced the binders around his wrists, “there’s many things that can cut through steel.”

Jin Guangshan extinguished the blade and shot Wei Wuxian a poisonous glare. “Always so quick-witted,” he sneered. “Pity you don’t seem to understand your situation.” He loomed over Wei Wuxian as Jin Guangyao shoved him into the only chair in the room. “Either you spend the rest of your life rotting in a Republic cell, or you tell me what I want to know.”

Wei Wuxian blinked up at him, looking not even remotely cowed. “And what is it that you want to know?” 

“Hm.” Jin Guangshan’s brown eyes shone with avarice. “To begin with,” he said, “what is this force you use?”

“The Force,” Wei Wuxian intoned, smirking a little, “is the energy that binds all living things.”

Jin Guangshan’s fingers twitched, and Jin Guangyao twined his fingers in Wei Wuxian’s hair from behind, twisting the long black strands in between his knuckles.

“Please, Wei Wuxian,” Jin Guangyao said, pulling his head back by his hair, “do not attempt to act smart with the Chancellor. It will only end poorly for you.” He released his hold, and Wei Wuxian’s head snapped forwards. His loose hair, now missing its signature red ribbon, spilled around his shoulders.

“I don’t understand,” Wei Wuxian said, “why you want to know. You can’t use the Force. Neither of you can.”

“The Jedi have a monopoly over this power,” Jin Guangshan said, with the practiced tone of someone who has thought about this too much. “For too long, this Force has been a secret power of the Jedi, which they use to maintain their power in the Republic.” He began pacing in front of Wei Wuxian’s chair. “Why should they be the sole keepers of this power?”

“We’re the only ones who  _ can  _ use it,” Wei Wuxian pointed out. “The Force is meaningless to anyone else.”

“This ‘Force’ does not explain how you Jedi levitate objects, or make lightsabers, or communicate without comms, or jump heights three times what any person should be able to do,” Jin Guangshan lectured, wrapped up as he was with understanding this foreign power he coveted so badly. “It does not explain how you people can make someone  _ forget  _ something or deflect blaster shots without even seeing them!”

“We use the Force,” Wei Wuxian supplied helpfully. “No really,” he said to the ceiling, when Jin Guangyao yanked his hair back again. “It’s all by way of the Force. It takes years of lessons that I really don’t think you have the time for.”

“Fine,” Jin Guangshan snapped, and waved a hand at Jin Guangyao, who released his grip once more. “Then you will write this all down. And then you’ll employ these skills however I desire you to.”

Wei Wuxian laughed in his face. “You think I’ll resign from the Jedi Order to work for  _ you?” _

Jin Guangshan sneered at his look of disbelief. “I can find more Force sensitive children for you to teach, if you prefer,” he threatened. “It used to be quite difficult, you know, spiriting away a child who tested positively before you Jedi showed up to claim them.” His smile grew smugly self-satisfied. “It’s become rather easy, with the war.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes flashed in anger, thinking of little Wen Yuan, who cried and clung to his robes, and Mo Xuanyu, who trembled and cowered and still wanted to help Wei Wuxian. “If you put your hands on another kid I’m walking out of here,” he snarled.

“One holocall and you’re on the run for treason,” Jin Guangshan shot back. “Once the vaunted Jedi have abandoned you to salvage their own reputation, I’ll find more children anyway, and you won’t be able to stop me.”

Wei Wuxian thought of Jiang Yanli’s calm and unwavering presence at the peak of the Burial Mounds, smothering her little lost padawan with love from lightyears away. “The Jedi will never abandon me,” he said confidently.

“You think too highly of them,” Jin Guangshan scoffed. “Your options are either you train kids for me, or you work for me. If you run, I’ll bring the whole galaxy down on your head, and either your Order will leave you for the wolves or they’ll take time from the war effort to protect you. I’d choose wisely, Wei Wuxian.”

The lessons Jin Guangshan had in mind, or at least the beginning lessons, were the meditative lessons Jiang Yanli had once led a hyper, eleven year old Wei Wuxian through. Thinking of how he learned to use the Force brought back countless memories of getting fidgety during meditation, or sparring with his friends in the practice rooms as they ran through their forms. Wei Wuxian remembered hugging Jiang Cheng so hard the boy fell over, the first time Jiang Cheng managed to levitate his toy. He remembered drifting off during Lan Qiren’s lectures, and bugging Lan Zhan when the other boy tried to hide in the library.

Wei Wuxian thought of thousands of moments that made up the culture and the knowledge of the Jedi, that made his family what it was. This was what Jin Guangshan coveted in his sick power play for more control over the galaxy, even while Wen Ruohan was burning planets to ashes. This was what he wanted to use Wei Wuxian for.

As if he’d ever betray the Jedi.

“I chose,” Wei Wuxian said flatly. “You’re getting nothing from me.”

Jin Guangshan glared at the Jedi, his smile souring into something cruel. “You’ll regret that decision,” he promised. He sniffed. “I don’t have time for this. Guangyao, I want answers from him. Do whatever you have to do.”

The Chancellor swept out of the room, and Jin Guangyao twisted Wei Wuxian’s hair so hard that the Jedi’s eyes stung. He would never betray the Jedi, especially not to the likes of Jin Guangshan. He would win, in the end. But his defiance would cost him.

* * *

None of the Jedi knew what to do with Lan Wangji after the whole debacle with Jin Zixun. He didn’t feel like the Dark Side, but he hadn’t felt like the Light Side since he’d stormed the Chancellor’s office. His presence in the Force was, as Wen Qing put it, “a mess.” 

“What about Gusu?” Lan Xichen suggested. The planet was known for its spiritual retreats, and if anyone needed a spiritual retreat, it was Wangji.

“That’s a great idea!” Wei Wuxian said. “How about it, Lan Zhan? A few months in some meditative springs, painting landscapes and watching sunrises?”

Lan Wangji nodded from his spot in Wei Wuxian’s lap. When Baoshan Sanren said that they couldn’t be separated, the two of them had taken it far too literally.

“Wei Wuxian, a day ago you were being tortured by Jin Guangyao,” Wen Qing said flatly. She wasn’t supposed to be in the Council meeting, but she’d been given an honorary seat to tell everyone off whenever they threatened to do something detrimental to their health.

Wei Wuxian’s smile didn't waver. “So I could use the retreat too!” He persisted.

“You can’t be serious,” He Lijuan said. “I understand Knight Wuxian going, but Wuxian, you have a fifteen year old padawan. You can’t just take him with you, especially if you’re injured, who knows what he might–might do–see?!”

The  _ he  _ in question sat stonily, absolutely outraged at the insinuation that he would hurt Wei Ying. This outrage was felt by every Jedi in the room, prompting He Lijuan’s last word.

Lan Wangji tried desperately to reign in his fury, but his emotions were still a complete mess. He still didn’t regret killing Jin Zixun, but he felt guilty for giving into his emotions when he’d spent his whole life training not to. Not to mention the shame and humiliation he felt as the Jedi Council continued to treat him like a wild beast that might snap at any moment. Despite it all, his heart kept going soft whenever Wei Ying smiled at him, and everyone could tell.

“Lan Zhan just needs a chance to sort out his emotions,” Wei Wuxian insisted. “And A-Yu has a lot to catch up on. It’ll be good for all of us. I trust Lan Zhan. Do you not trust me?”

It was just like Wei Wuxian to only use his clout within the Order when he was trying to help someone else.

“I will also be taking my padawan off-world for several months,” Xiao Xingchen said. He didn’t specify which planet, but likely a peaceful one. Xue Yang was a piece of work, to put it nicely.

He Lijuan sighed. “Grandmaster Baoshan?”

Baoshan Sanren appeared from wherever she’d been hiding. The ancient leader of the Order surveyed the bickering children in front of her. “I agree with Wuxian,” she said.

And so it was.

* * *

The creche was lively when Wen Qing and Jiang Yanli stopped by. The small group of children ran and sometimes crawled around all over the room, babbling loudly and squealing over the smallest things. It brought a smile to the two Jedi Masters, especially once they saw Wen Ning in the corner, playing with a little girl who had decided he was the most interesting thing in the room. Wen Ning was just off medical leave, and only cleared to watch over the younglings. It seemed to be more excitement than he’d expected.

“Master!” Wen Ning noticed Wen Qing’s approach, grateful for the help. The little girl abandoned him to run over the Jiang Yanli. “The, uh, the younglings are…louder than I expected. But it’s not strenuous! I promise.”

Wen Qing rolled her eyes fondly. “I told you to stay in bed,” she said but there was no heat behind it. 

Wen Ning ducked his head guiltily, but he knew that she lacked any real force behind her words.

“He’s adjusting?” Wen Qing asked.

In the middle of the rug, three boys played with colorful blocks. Baby Jin Ling, who was not even two years old, and Lan Jingyi, a toddler of all of four years of age, were regular playmates. But they were joined today by little Wen Yuan, who happily stacked blocks with the other two. Wen Qing and Wen Ning watched his adorable face fall when Lan Jingyi knocked over his tower, not through any malicious intent but rather through lack of motor control.

“He is,” Wen Ning said, proudly. “He’s making friends.”

“That’s good,” Jiang Yanli said from behind them. She held the little girl in her arms, letting her tug at her braids. 

Wen Yuan had cried when Wei Wuxian dropped him off in the creche, clinging to his robes and begging him not to leave. It broke the heart of everyone watching, except for Lan Jingyi, who toddled up to Wen Yuan and told him he was getting in the way of Lan Jingyi’s very important block-stacking session.

“I think Wuxian is going to take him as a padawan,” Wen Ning confided. “He’s been coming every week to play with him. Either him or Lan Wangji.”

Wen Qing rolled her eyes in exasperation, as most Jedi did when Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were brought up. The Jedi Order’s most iconic pair weren’t married, but they certainly were never separated, and even if they were separated they had a tendency to pull each other’s lightsaber out of thin air, like they were holding hands and not on opposite sides of the building. Dyad in the Force, indeed.

“Mm. The Council is thinking of making you a Councillor, A-Qing,” Jiang Yanli confided.

Wen Qing blinked in astonishment. Previously they’d been holding off on making her a Jedi Master, on account of her status as Wen Ruohan’s former padawan. “Really?”

“Really,” Jiang Yanli said. She put down the little girl she’d been carrying, who ran off to join her friends. “It might have something to do with all the…advice you’ve been providing the Council recently,” she said, eyes sparkling. By which she meant Wen Qing yelling at the Council whenever they suggested something dumb, abusing her power as medical consultant.

“Huh.” Wen Qing’s cheeks were pink. “I suppose so long as I have time to continue practicing medicine.”

“You deserve it, Master,” Wen Ning said enthusiastically. 

“It’s the start of a new galaxy,” Jiang Yanli said solemnly.

The three Jedi watched Wen Yuan stack blocks with Lan Jingyi. The war was over, and Jin Guangshan was losing his trial. Nie Mingjue told his padawan to take care of Jin Guangyao, and no Jedi really wanted to know what Nie Huaisang was going to do about him. 

Somewhere in a busy city, Wei Wuxian jumped off a moving speeder bike, and Lan Wangji stood ready to catch him. Somewhere on a distant planet, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji arrived with a mission, about to take the galaxy by storm.

The creche was filling up with younglings again, and the practice halls were once again full of padawans sparring, rather than padawans fighting for their lives on the war-torn planets of the galaxy. The Wens that Wei Wuxian had saved seemed content to stay in Yiling, and Wen Yuan was happy with the Jedi.

The new generation was here, fighting to change the galaxy for the better. It was the start of a new galaxy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to ask for other scenes because there's a lot to write and it's fun to write. no promises though.


End file.
